NYK names dual-fuel LPG carrier at Japanese yard

NYK said around 30 stakeholders attended the naming ceremony, during which BGN’s LPG director Takayuki Koike named the vessel Lucent Pathfinder, and BGN LPG trader Wendy Jungsuk Kwon performed the rope cutting.

NYK linked the ship’s name to its own stated intent, writing, “The name ‘Pathfinder’ reflects our commitment to a future path toward decarbonisation,” while ’Lucent’ was described as evoking “the vision of a safe and luminous future.”

NYK noted that Lucent Pathfinder is “equipped with a dual-fuel engine capable of operating on both heavy fuel oil and LPG.”

The company added, “When LPG is used as fuel, emissions of sulphur oxides in exhaust gases are reduced by more than 95%, and greenhouse gas emissions are cut by more than 20% compared with conventional heavy fuel oil.”

NYK also said the vessel is designed not only for LPG transport but can also carry ammonia.

Separately, in a contract announcement dated 16 January 2026, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said it had “recently signed a contract to build one VLGC with a shipping company based in Europe”, with construction at HD Hyundai Samho and delivery “by the first half of 2028”.

The group noted that, including disclosures on 16 January, it had received orders to date for “five ships worth US$1.2Bn”, representing “5% of the annual order target of US$23.3Bn”, comprising “four LNG carriers and one LPG/ammonia carrier”.

Sign up for Riviera’s April 2026 International Chemical and Product Tanker Conference:

• Register to attend here: The International Chemical and Product Tanker Conference 2026, London.
• View the latest issue of Tanker Shipping & Trade here: Tanker Shipping & Trade.